Fibromyalgia and Nightshades [a family of vegetables]: Three Things to Know
There is a lot of media talk about nightshade vegetables causing health issues, and it's well founded, especially among people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.
Here's some straight talk on nightshades to help you understand if they are a problem for YOU:
#1 - Not all nightshades will affect you: You may only react to some nightshade vegetables, so there's no need to abandon them all! For example, you may react to bell peppers but not potatoes or tomatoes. It's best to experiment with each type separately by keeping notes in a journal.
#2 - "Leaky gut" symptoms. You may be nightshade sensitive if you suffer from any of these:
If left unattended, leaky gut can develop into inflammatory conditions
[Leaky gut is also typical of other main food sensitivities such as dairy, gluten, etc.]
#3 - Make nightshades the last suspects: To save yourself a great deal of wasted time and effort, you should only suspect nightshade sensitivity if you have ruled out other food intolerance and sensitivities.
It's true! Symptoms of gluten, dairy, yeast, and fructose sensitivity all overlap with nightshades -- so you could get them mixed up.
Therefore, I recommend you investigate the four main food intolerances -- particularly gluten and dairy (which are #1 and #2) [fructose and yeast (3 and 4] BEFORE suspecting nightshades. Why? Because nightshade sensitivity is not nearly as common as the main four!
Get answers fast with a free copy of my SYMPTOMS BLUEPRINT to detect foods that may be causing you symptoms: http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/register.html [1]
Also, you may register for my next Eat to Beat Fibromyalgia Challenge program here: http://www.eattobeatfibromyalgia.com/ [2]
Also, if you'd like to register for our weekly eZine, the direct link for your ease is:
www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/register.html [3]
Deirdre Rawlings, ND, PhD advises clients in her local area of Atlanta, Georgia, USA in person as well as remotely, both individuals and groups/corporations. While she has a focus on advising those with fibromyalgia or developing symptoms with a focus on nutrition as solution for wellness, her expertise is global and 'wholistic'. Her complete information can be found at http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/ [4]. She is the author of "Foods that Help Win the Battle Against Fibromyalgia"; check out Amazon.com and Barnes and Nobel.
Links:
[1] http:// http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/register.html
[2] http://www.eattobeatfibromyalgia.com/
[3] http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/register.html
[4] http://www.foodsforfibromyalgia.com/
[5] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/nightshade-sensitivity-people-fibromyalgia-symptoms-3-things-know#comment-1506
[6] http://twitter.com/lumigrate
[7] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/nightshade-sensitivity-people-fibromyalgia-symptoms-3-things-know#top
[8] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/login?destination=node/904%23comment-form
[9] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/register?destination=node/904%23comment-form
Comments
Thank you so much for providing this very informative and succinct answer to a question I'd not even asked you directly! I know for 15+ years now, I've been reading and talking/learning about 'nightshades' and when you hear something over and over and from sources you value, you believe it to be valid. This was posted the Monday after Thanksgiving and both this holiday weekend and Halloween, I traveled to visit two different gal pals and their families, both are health conscious but not related to food allergies particularly, and they utilize wheat and dairy a lot. I LOVE eating the 'normal food' and the best part is, I get a good confirmation that I need to continue keeping wheat and dairy out of my home and normal eating. It's like night and day how I feel in just one day and then it's just exponential the change in how I feel after multiple days. (I'll get more pain so then don't sleep as well due to the pain and it's just a big 'unwinding'.)
When I've been doing 'better', I've taken nightshades out of my diet to see if there are any changes for me (always the 'maximizer, not a 'satisfyzer'), and I don't see any correlation. Then I'll read, see on TV or otherwise talk to others about the benefits of tomato, for example, or some varieties of mushrooms, and I think 'well, I don't want to miss out on THAT ... BUT there's so much out there about nightshades so .....'.
As the old song goes, it falls in the "things that make you go 'hmmmm' " category! So for me, this makes sense, since I've twice (in 1995 and again five years ago/2006) had food allergy testing done (IgG), which always comes up dairy, wheat, eggs, and the more recent time yeast and beans. (I attributed the 'beans' to being that I'd switched to eating a lot of Mexican food since you can eat dairy and wheat free in Mexican restaurants or at home, and I have zero of the 'usual side effects' of beans. (And LOVE eating beans of any sort.).
So this answers a lot of questions for me, personally, Deirdre (thank you again), and I imagine this will be a BIG help to the readers at Lumigrate who might not have been 'as far down the road' with this type of information. I was fortunate to have hit the 'end of the road' essentially, from neurology related to the perplexing symptoms I had which appeared to be MS but on MRI and lumbar puncture were NOT (thankfully); my 'intuition'/gut told me it had to do with food allergies (as it had also previously told me birth control pills were part of the problem too). Now that I know what I know, in retrospect, I was correct about the artificial and not right mix of hormones as well as foods were culprits.
I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE to take advantage of the things offered that can give FREE advice, as your advise is SO valuable! And then if things resonate for people, and they are able to do so, doing things which you offer with reasonable charges are exceptional values, not only for the 'price point' but the sheer value of the benefits in the end that comes from the changes a person can make based on the information you give. And again, thank you! It's dinnertime and ironically there are no nightshades in it tonight!
Live and Learn! Learn and Live Better!! Again, thank you Dr Dee! ~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [6] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!